The Voyage of St. Brendan

St. Brendan (ca. 484-577) was one of the most famous of the Celtic pilgrims, renowned not only for the piety of his life and for founding several monasteries in Ireland, but also for his amazing voyages west over the open seas in one of these small boats which were (and still are) called coracles. It is certain that on his longest voyage he and his fellow monks made it as far west as Newfoundland, and there is good reason to believe that he even made it farther south on the North American continent. The written account of his journey, "The Voyage of St. Brendan", became a 'best-seller' for a thousand years as sort of a combination of adventure story and devotional writing. He is considered to be a patron saint of pilgrims and his feast day is May 16. At times, St. Brendan, out on a small boat at seas with his fellow monk, would direct them to pull in the rudder and just let the wind take them where they should go. He said, "Is not God the pilot and sailor of our boats? Leave it to him… he himself guides our journey as he will."

Peregrenatio, the spiritual discipline of pilgrimage, stands as one of the most enduring legacies of the Celtic Christian tradition. Ian Bradley writes in The Celtic Way, "Peregrenatio was the outward symbol of an inner change, a metaphor and a symbol for that journey towards deeper faith and greater holiness and that journey towards God which is the Christian life."

But this journey also had a profoundly outward element. Indeed, in the second half of the first millennium much of northern Europe was evangelized because of these simple, wandering saints who carried little but a Bible and a staff. They were the first to carry the gospel message to N. Europe and founded monasteries in Scotland, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and down into Italy.

Jobs and Internships

Job Opportunities

Thanks for your interest in working with Coracle! We currently have no job vacancies, but check back with us in the future. The best way to stay up to date about all Coracle happenings is by joining our mailing list. We hope you’ll come visit us at one of our events or out at Corhaven soon!

Internships

Interning with Coracle is an opportunity to delve deeply into a life of Christian witness and ministry with Bill and Tara Haley in the unique setting of Corhaven, the Haley’s “retreat home” in the Shenandoah Valley. Living at Corhaven gives the intern first-hand ministry experience in the area of Christian hospitality, an opportunity to learn more about the theology and practice of spiritual formation, and a place to explore questions surrounding care for the earth and environment as he or she learns the practical skills of organic gardening and animal care. In all, the internship is an opportunity to “go deep” into the abundant life as you learn to care for others and the land.

Although the internship experience is “holistic” in the sense that it encompasses all areas of daily life, the program focuses on three main areas: spiritual formation, creation care and Christian hospitality.

Spiritual Formation

Spiritual formation is at the heart of Coracle and, over the course of the 10-14 week internship, the intern will grow in his or her understanding of the purpose and practices of spiritual formation. He or she will have an opportunity to apply this knowledge in his or her life and the life others. Practically speaking, this looks like …

• Engaging in guided independent study, in which the intern reads books, sermons, and essays on spiritual formation and spiritual growth

• Reflecting on readings through weekly blog posts

• Incorporating the practices of silence and solitude into a rhythm of life

• Helping to prepare for and lead group retreats

• Meeting with Bill to discuss questions concerning spiritual formation and theology, as well as issues pertaining to the intern’s own spiritual growth

Creation Care

Interning at Corhaven exposes the intern to organic gardening and gives him or her a place to learn practical skills relating to creation care and animal husbandry. In addition, the intern has as an opportunity to explore the theology behind this work. On a daily basis, this looks like …

• Working to harvest and prepare food for individual retreatants’ meals and group retreats

• Meeting with Tara to read and discuss Making Peace with the Land

• Writing and reflecting on the theology and pratices of creation care

Christian Hospitality

Living at Corhaven gives the intern first-hand ministry experience in the area of Christian hospitality as he or she seeks to answer the question: how do you create a space for people to experience and encounter the love of God? The answer takes many and various forms but, practically-speaking, this looks like …

• preparing for and welcoming retreatants when they arrive and providing orientations

• sometimes meeting with retreatants for conversation and prayer, as the retreatant desires

• caring for the needs of retreatants during their stay as they arise (accommodations, requests, etc.)

In all, the 10-14 week internship at Corhaven is an opportunity to step back from the rush of our noise-filled world and experience a deeper kind of activity – the kind of “kingdom” activity that flows out of a knowledge of God’s love and an experience of His presence. It’s an opportunity to experience life-as-ministry and be transformed by God as He uses you in the lives of others.

In the words of a former Coracle intern, “I was actually transformed! I’m a different person.”

To express your interest and get more information, contact Bill at wrlhaley@me.com. The internship includes accommodations and a stipend, and the number of weeks is flexible.

Corhaven is a “retreat home” nestled in the Shenandoah Valley offering solitude and retreats for individuals or larger groups.